Health from Newser

Club Drug 'Special K' Could Treat Depression

Kevin Spak — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:56:00 CDT

Doctors use it as an anesthetic and ravers use it to hallucinate, but a new study indicates that ketamine might have another trick up its sleeve: treating depression. A new study found that the drug the kids call "Special K" is effective at treating major depression compared to an active...

Get Over It, Foodies: Spam Is Delicious

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:44:42 CDT

It's time for foodies to stop turning their noses up at Spam, declares Anna Weaver in Slate . She offers up myriad reasons the canned meat deserves a spot at even the fanciest tables: It tastes good . In particular, it's more appetizing than that classic American favorite, the hot dog. But...

Want Health? Feed the Bacteria Living Inside You

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 19 May 2013 10:16:48 CDT

Don't look now, but roughly 100 trillion bacteria live in and on your body. According to scientists, these microbes—especially the ones in your gut—may be fending off chronic diseases, moderating your weight, and strengthening your immune system. But our society's processed foods and war on bacteria are posing...

New Psychiatry 'Bible' Under Fire

Ruth Brown — Sat, 18 May 2013 16:23:27 CDT

A new edition of the manual doctors use to diagnose mental illness, the DSM, has just been released by the American Psychiatric Association—but it has already been stirring up controversy for months, reports CBS . Most critically, the director of the National Institute of Mental Health has spoken out against...

Student Hit by Flesh-Eating Bacteria Gets Bionic Hands

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:23:37 CDT

A Georgia woman who lost both hands, her left leg, and her right foot after contracting a flesh-eating disease has been fitted with prosthetic hands. Aimee Copeland, 25, has been fitted with a pair of hands with 24 programmable functions that will improve her dexterity. She got the "i-limbs" from...

Inside the Most Expensive Hospital in America

Ruth Brown — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:55:05 CDT

Bayonne, New Jersey, is not a place you want to get sick. The New York Times has combed through Medicare data released by the government this month, and found Bayonne Medical Center charges the highest prices in the country for almost a quarter of the most common hospital treatments. For...

How Your Muscles Impact Your Politics

Kevin Spak — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:37:10 CDT

Are our political debates really just pantomimes of primitive chest-thumping exercises? A new study surveying people about their opinions on the redistribution of wealth and the size of their biceps certainly suggests so. The results: Those with big muscles who were rich tended to vehemently oppose redistribution, while strong poor...

Up to 20% of US Kids Have Mental Disorder

Matt Cantor — Fri, 17 May 2013 06:46:11 CDT

The CDC is out with its first report on mental disorders and kids, and the bottom line is a pretty heavy one: 13% to 20% of kids between ages 3 and 17 now suffer from a mental disorder, per the AFP . And that has costly implications: The disorders spur $247...

Poop Found in Most Swimming Pools

John Johnson — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:38:39 CDT

The CDC sampled 161 public swimming pools and discovered a very good reason to keep your mouth closed in the water: 58% of them had fecal contamination, reports USA Today . The pools were in Atlanta, but a CDC official says the findings would almost certainly apply to any city. Researchers...